


fill to me the parting glass

by theladiesyouhate



Category: Mob City
Genre: Angst, Mentions of Character Death, mentions of one-sided Eddy/Pat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-05-27
Packaged: 2018-01-26 17:57:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1697294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladiesyouhate/pseuds/theladiesyouhate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eddy Sanderson retired at the ripe old age of fifty eight, during the summer of 1967.</p>
            </blockquote>





	fill to me the parting glass

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this week's Mob City Monday challenge. Many thanks to Aubrey for cheerleading and beta-ing. And for kicking my ass until I stopped messing up the damn tenses.

Eddy Sanderson retired at the ripe old age of fifty eight, during the summer of 1967. He wasn’t as fast as he used to be, thanks to a bullet in the leg he took during a raid in ’51, and there wasn’t much room for him in the LAPD nowadays. There was no need for the old mob squad any longer, truth be told, not with Mickey Cohen behind bars and William Parker dead and gone. So Eddy took that as his cue to leave, bowing out gracefully after over twenty years of service.

The members of Parker’s unit made a big show out of him leaving. There weren’t too many of them left now, and Eddy almost felt guilty about retiring early. Pat spent at least a week coming up with every reason why he should stay. Tug offered him a job in Internal Affairs, “if its carrying a gun that troubles you.” Joe even took him aside one day and asked in his own quiet way if there was anything he could do to convince him to stay on.

Eddy gave them all the same answer. “I’ve made up my mind,” he said, smiling politely. “It’s time for me to move on. Anyway, what do you need me for? We won.”

He kept the real reason close to his chest. He’d come home from fighting one war in 1945 only to be drafted into another. He’d buried more friends than he cared to count, wasted years of his life chasing down murderers and crooks only to have them slip away at the last second, and he’d grown tired of it all. They’d worn him out.

His last day on the job was quiet, thankfully. The only surprise the others had planned was a visit from Hal Morrison, who appeared at the precinct around lunch. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen this place,” he said, leaning heavily on a cane, Joe hovering at his side. “Glad to see nothing’s changed but the faces.”

“The trick to retirement is to keep your mind busy,” he confided to Eddy later when they had a moment alone. “Don’t just sit alone in your apartment reminiscing about the glory days.”

“And what days would those be?” Eddy couldn’t keep a note of bitterness out of his voice, and Hal fixed him with a disapproving stare. It was just as effective as it had been when he was on the force.

“You boys did a lot of good. Bill wouldn’t have been able to do half the things he did without all of you.” He gripped Eddy’s hand tightly, and it was enough to stop any retorts he might have in their tracks. Parker’s death was still too fresh for him to make light of it, especially in front of Hal. Any doubts he had about the success of Parker’s private war he’d keep to himself. 

Hal left shortly afterwards, leaving Eddy with nothing to do but clean out his desk. He sorted through twenty years worth of neatly filed papers and assorted knickknacks and trinkets he’d collected over the years. He found a prototype of the first bug he planted in Mickey Cohen’s office buried in the back of one drawer, and a few pictures taken of them around the station tucked into a folder that had been covered by mountains of paperwork. The faces staring up at him, youthful and fearless, made his stomach churn. Mike’s glaring face in particular stood out; Eddy hadn’t seen him since the day he’d admitted to being the mole.

It took him an hour to clean things up. Pat stuck his head in the office almost as soon as he was done, as if he’d been waiting. “So,” he said brightly, a smile lighting up his face, “is it time to kick you to the curb yet?”

“Careful,” Eddy said drily. “The more enthusiastic you get, the longer I’ll stick around just to deprive you the joy of throwing me out.”

Pat laughed. “Christ, I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a new best friend within the week.” Eddy glanced around the office, looking for any stray items he hadn’t packed. “But as a heads up, don’t just latch onto Joe right away. You’ll spook him, and then you won’t have anyone else around here to annoy.”

“I’ll keep that mind.” Pat leaned against the doorframe casually, the same way he always had. The first time Eddy had ever met him, he’d been in the same spot, his usual charming grin plastered on his face. Back then, he’d been the darling of every girl around, the very picture of the heroic and handsome detective. 

Eddy ignored the familiar move. He’d long ago accepted that he had feelings for Pat and that they were unrequited. The friendship they had was enough, and not worth throwing away because he couldn’t pull his head out of his ass. 

Instead, he rolled his eyes. “That’s what you say whenever I give you advice. And you know how often you actually take it?”

Pat chuckled. “You got me. What can I say? I learn better from mistakes. Both my ex-wives’ll tell you that.” He paused, then smirked. “Speakin’ of ladies, I’ve got a hot date tonight. Tug’s set me up with this girl his wife knows, and she’s supposed to be a looker.”

“I’m so sorry I’ll miss hearing all the details of your latest conquest tomorrow,” Eddy deadpanned as he picked up the box on his desk.

“Tell you what,” Pat said, walking into the room. “I’ll call you tomorrow and give you the full story.”

“I can hardly wait.” Eddy started for the door and then stopped. Pat was standing in his way, hands jammed into his pockets. “Look, I’m getting out of your hair, so can you move?”

Pat suddenly seemed unsure of himself. His eyes dropped to the floor and he shifted his weight from side to side. “Listen...I’m, uh, I’m gonna miss you around here. You’re a good guy, and I wish you the best.”

The sudden seriousness caught Eddy off guard. “Thanks,” he said awkwardly. When Pat didn’t move, he set the box back down on the desk and stuck out his hand. “It’s been an honor.”

Instead of taking his hand, Pat stepped forward and pulled Eddy into a hug. It was short, and Eddy barely had time to hug him back before Pat pulled away, eyes unusually bright. “You take care of yourself now, alright? ‘Cause Hal promised he’d go lecture you if we found out you were wasting away from boredom.”

“I’ll be fine,” Eddy said quietly. He picked the box up again. “The same goes for you. If I open the paper one morning and find out you got shot doing something dumb, I’m telling every embarrassing story I know at your funeral.”

Pat chuckled. “See ya around then,” he said, stepping to the side to let Eddy pass.

Eddy nodded. His throat was suddenly tight and he didn’t think he could speak, so he hurried out of the office and headed for the elevator. As he waited for the doors to slide open, he looked back to see Pat still standing by the door, watching him leave. The sight hurt more than anticipated; luckily the doors slid open at that moment, giving him a chance to hide the fact he thought he might cry.

Later on, Eddy headed downtown to the bar that had once been Bunny’s Jungle Club. The place had been sold since, and turned into a perfectly respectable bar. It had lost most of the original’s charm, but the music there was decent and the drinks were still good. 

It was still Joe’s favorite place, which was why Eddy wasn’t surprised to see Joe at a table near the back, drink already in front of him. 

“Is this really how you spent all those nights when you turned me and the guys down for drinks?” he asked, noting with some satisfaction the look of surprise on Joe’s face to see him.

“I thought retirees were supposed to spend their nights at home, watching TV and complaining,” Joe retorted. Eddy laughed, sliding into the seat opposite from him.

Joe glanced over his shoulder at the door. “Listen, I’m expecting company -”

“Is it the wife you’re hiding away from all of us?” Eddy gestured to Joe’s tie, a hideous silk thing with a clashing stripes. “She’s got terrible taste in ties.”

Joe looked away, face flushing. “ ‘m not married.”

Eddy smirked. “Not according to Pat. He just thinks the fact you stopped being so damn broody all the time is because you’re getting laid regularly. Tug’s the one who started the wife rumor.” 

Joe leaned back in his chair. “And what’s your read on it? Given that you can figure out a guy’s sex life based on a cup of coffee alone.”

“If you were married, you’d have invited Hal to the wedding and he’d have told all of us,” Eddy said, before he grinned and leaned forward to rest his chin on his hand. “Still, isn’t it romantic, the idea that you’ve got a wife you’re keeping a secret, to protect her from your dangerous life?” 

Joe snorted. “Never pegged you as a romantic.”

“Like I told you, I’ve got a tender heart.” Eddy settled back in his chair. “Speaking of wives, how’s Jasmine?”

Joe stiffened for a moment. “She’s fine. I heard from her finally a couple years back. She remarried back in ’50, had a couple kids. She takes pictures for the local paper. She’s happy. That’s all that matters.” His eyes dropped down to his drink. “All that matters,” he repeated slowly.

Eddy raised an eyebrow. “So she was worth all that trouble?”

“Yes.” Joe looked up, a scowl plastered on his face. “What’s it to you?”

“Consider this a retirement gift,” Eddy said. “I even waited to ask until I was officially no longer a cop, so it’s off the record.” 

He paused for effect. “So, were you the guy who shot Siegel?”

Joe’s reaction was tell enough. His face paled slightly, and his right hand twitched where it was resting on the table. For a moment, he looked as though he might run, then he deflated, shoulders slumping down in defeat. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “I killed him.”

Eddy nodded. He’d had his suspicions ever since the day they’d gotten the call that someone had put nine rounds into Siegel as he sat in his living room. “Because of Jasmine?”

“He was going to kill her.” Joe’s gaze was remorseless and cold. “I’d kill a hundred men to keep her safe. I don’t regret it.”

“Even with all the trouble it caused?” 

Joe’s expression flickered slightly. “Cohen’s in jail. That’s all that matters now.”

Eddy shook his head. “You know what I mean. I’m assuming we have you to thank that Sid Rothman stopped being a problem too.”

Joe let out a humorless laugh. “And why’d you think that?”

“Because I heard the guy ranting to Cohen about catching Siegel’s killer on the bug a hundred times if I heard it once,” Eddy said sharply. “He shows up one day saying he’s real close to catching who did it, and then within a week he’s gone. I’m assuming he caught up to the guy who did it, and the other guy won.”

Joe’s lips curled into a sneer. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He looked away. “I didn’t want...after Siegel, I didn’t want to kill again but it wasn’t just my life on the line. It was Jasmine’s, it was...he was gonna kill a lot of people to get back at me. So I did what I had to do.”

He trailed off, sneer faded into a defeated expression. “Why wait until now to ask me about this? You could’ve taken this to Parker, had my ass thrown in jail.”

“I could have.” Eddy shrugged. “You killed to keep the people you love safe. That’s a better reason than most have. Besides, you’re a good detective. Smarter than folks give you credit for, and you stick to the letter of the law most of the time. We needed guys like you so I just swept it all under the rug.” 

“You did what you needed to do,” Joe said. “I get that.”

Eddy nodded. There was more he wanted to say, but before he could ask another question a sharp voice over his shoulder interrupted. “Am I intruding?”

Joe’s face instantly softened and Eddy turned to see Ned Stax, dark hair shot through with grey, standing there. He was staring at Eddy with a look of disdain. 

“I was just leaving.” Eddy looked back at Joe, who was smiling warmly at Stax. Realization dawned on him suddenly, and Eddy couldn't stop himself from smirking. _Guess it wasn't a wife after all._

As he stood up, Joe got to his feet as well. “Take care of yourself,” he said, shaking Eddy’s hand. “Stay out of trouble.”

“I should say the same to you,” Eddy said, and the corner of Joe’s mouth quirked upward slightly. “Enjoy your drinks.”

Giving Stax a nod, which was not returned, Eddy walked out of the bar. The day had been tiring and all Eddy wanted to do was go home and sleep. Tomorrow, he’d decide what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, but tonight he’d rest. He had earned that.

The streets were busy with people enjoying the warm summer night. Eddy let himself vanish into the crowd as he headed back home.


End file.
